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a gentle late summer vegetable dish served with whole-wheat couscous

29th September 2015

For Yasmin – a favourite of yours and a thank-you for all your patience in holding those heavy skillets, plates, seeds, vegetables and flowers in all sorts of elements – wind, rain, cold and in all those inconvenient times…Xx

This is one of the weekly lunches I make for the children to take to school, Jonathan to work and for me to have my first meal at around 10 ish. I have a list in the kitchen of meals which I refer to so I don’t have to spend time thinking about what to make when I start cooking early morning and the combination works for everyone’s likes and dislikes.

a gentle late summer vegetable dish served with whole-wheat couscous

Serves 4

This dish is perfect when needing a gentle tasting, soft dish. The key is the lightly cook the vegetables so they remain vibrant & firm. When needing a more hearty, protein dish instead of the potatoes, add a cup of cooked chickpeas. When available, corn fresh off the cob is a nice addition. The couscous is great as it cooks up in only 10 minutes. Whole wheat couscous is a finely crushed form of durum wheat semolina, less processed than pasta with more fibre and nutrients.

Place the couscous in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of ghee/oil and salt. Pour the boiling water over the couscous. Cover and leave for 10 minutes, when ready to serve fluff up with a fork.

Place the peeled and chopped potatoes in a saucepan with a little water and simmer until soft and cooked.

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil, when hot add the yellow mustard seeds and saute for a few seconds. Add the bay leaf, chopped celery, carrots, red pepper, and green beans. Cover and simmer for four minutes or more.

Once the vegetables have softened slightly but still firm & vibrant, add the soft potatoes and currants. Simmer for a further 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the salt and a generous few rounds of freshly ground pepper.

To serve, spoon the couscous into a deep plate, bowl or lunch box. Sprinkle over a good helping of fresh parsley or coriander. Spoon the vegetables onto the centre of the couscous. Drizzle with a good tasting olive oil, a generous sprinkling of pine nut parmesan or toasted pine nuts, garnish again with freshly chopped coriander or parsley & a few rounds of freshly ground pepper.